Kenneth Allen Phelps (born August 6, 1954) is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman. He played for six different Major League Baseball (MLB) teams from 1980 to 1990, primarily with the Seattle Mariners. Baseball statistician Bill James cited Phelps as an example of a player who was unfairly denied a chance to play in the majors, despite compiling strong minor league statistics.
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After growing up in Seattle and playing college baseball at Washington State University, Mesa Community College, and Arizona State University, Phelps began his professional career in the farm system of the Kansas City Royals in 1976. He made his MLB debut with the pennant-winning Royals in 1980, and was traded to the Montreal Expos for the 1982 season. Stuck behind a talented lineup in Montreal, the left-handed Phelps was traded to his hometown Seattle Mariners, where he played from 1983 to 1988.
After a trade to the New York Yankees in July 1988 and a stint with the Oakland Athletics the next two seasons, Phelps ended his career in 1990 at age 38 with the Cleveland Indians. He provided color commentary for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005.
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Early years
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Phelps graduated from Ingraham High School in north Seattle in 1972. He played a year at Washington State in Pullman under Bobo Brayton, then headed to Mesa Community College, looking for an opportunity to play at Arizona State in Tempe.
In his only season at MCC in 1974, Phelps was named a junior college All-American. He was drafted twice in the first round (January and June drafts) by the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively. He had previously been drafted out of high school by the Atlanta Braves in the eighth round (179th overall) of 1972 Major League Baseball draft.
All this earned Phelps a chance from Coach Jim Brock to play at ASU, where he was named to the College World Series All Star team in 1976, when the Sun Devils lost to rival Arizona after having defeated the Wildcats seven times that season, including a first-round game in Omaha.
Professional career
Kansas City Royals and Montreal Expos
The left-hitting first baseman was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 15th round (354th overall) of the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. Phelps hit a combined 43 home runs from for the Omaha Royals, KC's Triple-A affiliate in the American Association. On September 20, 1980, he made his major league debut against the Oakland Athletics, appearing as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and grounding out in his only at bat. Phelps appeared in 24 career games with Kansas City, posting a .115 batting average and one RBI. In the American Association in 1982, Phelps hit .333 with 46 home runs and 141 RBI in 132 games for the Triple-A Wichita Aeros.
Seattle Mariners
An average defensive player, Phelps was better suited to play with the Mariners, as he could serve as the designated hitter, and the struggling franchise also had plenty of room for advancement. Phelps split time in 1983 between Seattle and its Pacific Coast League farm club, the Triple-A Salt Lake City Bees. Again, he hit minor league pitching well (.341 with 24 home runs and 82 RBI in 74 games), he had won the regular first base job, and hit two home runs in his first three-game and had five hits in his first ten at-bats. The injury resulted in the call-up of first baseman Alvin Davis after just one game in Triple-A, who immediately produced; Davis was named to the American League All-Star team and was the league's Rookie of the Year.
The next season, Phelps found himself behind Davis at first and Gorman Thomas at DH, who had been signed as a free agent the previous season as an He was limited to a mere 116 major league at bats, and hit just .207 with nine home runs and 24 RBI in 61 games. despite already having Don Mattingly and Jack Clark to play first base and DH. With limited playing time, Phelps found it difficult to maintain his production of the previous four-and-a-half seasons, while Buhner went on to become an All-Star and legendary Mariners player. A Seinfeld episode in early 1996 ("The Caddy") depicted Yankee fan Frank Costanza (played by Jerry Stiller) as more upset about the Buhner trade than about the supposed death of his own son Phelps only hit 17 home runs for the Yankees before being traded to the Oakland Athletics for relief pitcher Scott Holcomb on August 31, 1989. The A's won the World Series, but Phelps had just two at bats in the post-season, with a pinch-hit double in the third game of the league championship series.
Final homer
Phelps' final home run might have been his most notable; it came with Oakland before a sell-out home crowd in 1990 on April 20, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that Friday night. Phelps was called out of the dugout to pinch hit against Brian Holman of the Mariners, who had retired the first 26 batters in succession; he homered on the first pitch to ruin the perfect game.
Years later, Phelps said he wanted to hit it out because he did not want to watch himself on ESPN's SportsCenter all season making the out to complete Holman's gem. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians for cash considerations on June 17, 1990. In 1991, after playing seven games for the San Francisco Giants' Triple-A affiliate, the Phoenix Giants, Phelps retired from baseball at the age of 36.
After baseball
In 2004, Phelps did color commentary on the radio for Arizona Diamondbacks baseball games. He has since done baseball analysis for Fox Sports, along with community and media work for the state's largest electric utility, Arizona Public Service. Programs that Phelps has been involved with (The ABC's of Baseball, and Life and Power Players) have received national recognition for having positive impact on children.